Front Case: which bolts...

[324vr4]

I am redoing the front case on the motor due to leaking and I'm curious what bolts need to be used with sealant...all of them...only the ones that go all the way thru?! If someone has a pic of a front case could you draw on the drawing and show what/where I need to have the bolts smothered with the appropriate sealant...

 

No sealant is required on the bolts. Although I would use a very small drop of red loctite to ensure none back out.

Also if you are doing balance shaft removal you can find a short bolt and put it in the balance shaft tensioner pulley hole. I put sealant on this one bolt just to be sure. It will leak from this hole if you don't put a bolt in it.

I think torque on all of them is only 15-17ft.lbs because its aluminum

 

[bazeng]

As above

I do them all dry exept for the balance shaft pulley hole.
Sealant that or else you will leak oil.

Apart from that, you'll be good.

Are you doing the water pump too? If so, I put sealant on the bolt that goes through the block (open thread). Mine leaked water last time so I seal it just to be safe.

 

[324vr4]

thanks for the responses guys! i guess the gasket does what it's supposed to do then. i will throw some loctite on all of them for sure. i wasn't planning on doing the water pump, it's been recently replaced, but i will plop some sealent on that bolt too. thanks guys, hopefully it will be up and running (again) soon!

 

[ktmrider]

Hey 324 I had the same issue recently ( oil leaks from the front case ).
The main culprit was no loctite on the bolts ( many were finger tight so the leak was getting worse ugh ) but in addition to oil drips on the pulley the hydraulic tensioner had a few drops too.
I ended up sealing and loctiting every bolt for peace of mind. Had 500 miles on her before leaving, dry as an old man's scalp...

 

[1990ggsxnj]

so how do you cure engine dandruf and liver spots??? Sand blast??

 

[ktmrider]

^^ LOL, I like the "antiquey" look those things give it...

 

[vr4play]

You should put sealant on the tensioner bolts that hold the automatic tensioner, and the balance shaft tensioner because they go into a oil passage and can leak. Other than that they could all be done dry. Loctite could be a good idea.

 

[324vr4]

Well, since oil leaks suck all the time I think we'll just Locktite each bolt...as stated above "for peace of mind." Thank you for your advice! Should be done this afternoon and after its dried and cured...a drive around the block...thanks again! The bug is back!

 

[toybreaker]

I believe in loc-tite! /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/worthy.gif

Please note there are several grades.

They have different shear characterisitics.

Using the red where it's not needed may cause additional complications on the next t-belt change when you have to remove the tensioner. Breaking bolts sucks!!!

For what it's worth, my experience has shown that the medium strength (blue) is more than enough to retain the hardware in the front cover when it's assembled correctly. This means clean, dry hardware, threaded into holes that are clean, dry, and free of debris in the bottom, and following the torque tables with an accurate torque wrench.

This will provide the best service life, and will allow the cover to be easily removed in the future.

Willy nilly gluing shite together will result in lot's of clean up in the best case, and heartache with broken bolts in the worst case at the next service interval...

Many times previous mookage has resulted in rtv and the like in the bottom of the holes. The hardware will bottom out against the extra material, and not provide the clamp load we are looking for.

My experience has also shown that many front cover oil leaks have been from behind the tensioner. The tensioner hardware are shoulder bolts, and substituting other hardware may cause issues, either with the location of the tensioner or leaks.

use the correct hardware in this location to avoid uneccessary isssues

One other lesson I learned the hard way is that if you're going to pre~oil the motor (turning the oil pump with the belt off), The tensioner must be installed. The front case has some oil passages cast into it, and the tensioner hardware pins the case down in between them. Problems with the hardware not providing the correct clamp load there may allow pressurized oil to enter the clearance between the bolt shank and the front cover, and then come out from under the bolt head.


Please note that to achieve the best results when using loc-tite, the male threads on the bolt and the female threads in the hole must be clean and dry.

 

[324vr4]

thanks for the response toybreaker! very informative post. i got the front case back on and used blue loctite on all the bolts but have a question on the tensioner you were talking about. this is the hydraulic one that keeps the timing belt tight correct? i just used blue loctite (a lot) on those bolts but they are definitely not shoulder bolts. they are flange bolts and are the ones that were previously holding the tensioner on. do i need to further seal these bolts or even get different ones? thanks for anymore insight!

 

[324vr4]

so i take it that the loctite on the tensioner should be adequate?

 

[bazeng]

It is optional. Completely up to you.

I personally didn't. I torqued it up to spec and thats it. There is no mentioning in the overhaul manual either.

 

[Telecaster]

My friend sprays copper gasket sealant (same one used on the head gasket) for the front case gasket. Then he tightens the bolts and let's it sit overnight before priming.

 

[324vr4]

thanks guys!